Best practices in public participation for conservation
Wendy Lowe
The Participation Company
Wendy Green Lowe has 30 years experience in public participation and group process facilitation. She works with federal agencies (including the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Air Force, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Energy), state agencies (including Departments of Health and Welfare, Environmental Quality, and Fish and Game), and numerous local governments and non-profits. She has worked on issues ranging from nuclear and hazardous waste management to mental health services, species conservation, childcare, biomass utilization, sustainable development, and watershed management. Wendy is a Certified Professional Facilitator under the auspices of the International Association of Facilitators and a long-standing member, current Board member, and licensed trainer for the International Association for Public Participation. In addition, she has been on the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution’s roster of environmental facilitators since 2001. She specializes in creating respectful processes for groups with diverse perspectives to achieve consensus on contentious issues.
Abstract
What is public participation? Who is the public? Why would we involve them? What could they possibly say that would be helpful? The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) defines public participation as any... [ view full abstract ]
What is public participation? Who is the public? Why would we involve them? What could they possibly say that would be helpful? The International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) defines public participation as any time a public agency solicits input from the public with an explicit intention of using that input in a decision making process. Designing public participation well involves considering who the decision-maker is and how the decision will be made. But it is more than that. What level of involvement is appropriate? What techniques should be used and when? This portion of the roundtable session will focus on what needs to be considered to design an appropriate opportunity for the public to participate in wildlife conservation work. Based on 30 years in the business of doing community engagement work for diverse public agencies, I will share best practices for designing and conducting meaningful opportunities for engaging the public.
Large trends are making this challenging work even harder, including eroding confidence in science and government, diverse preferences for communication methods across generational groups, and precipitously declining civility. At the same time, the public's expectations for involvement are increasing over time. I will talk about my 14 years experience facilitating local working groups chartered to reach consensus on conservation strategies for Great Sage-grouse in Idaho. In addition, I will discuss how I worked with Idaho Fish and Game to plan and conduct a 3-day event - the Idaho Wildlife Summit - which brought over 600 participants together at seven locations. Those experiences as well as others from beyond the field of wildlife conservation will help me share lessons learned and react to plans for engaging the public for the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy and the National Elk Refuge's Bison and Elk Management Plan.
Authors
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Wendy Lowe
(The Participation Company)
Topic Areas
Topics: Engaging with the Public , Topics: Collaborative Conservation
Session
T-3C » Effective Stakeholder and Public Engagement at Multiple Scales (13:00 - Tuesday, 19th September, Assembly Hall C)
Presentation Files
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